Eugene weekly., June 16, 2016, Page 36, Image 36

SWEETS
With a cute storefront in the Farmers’ Union
Marketplace near Fifth Avenue and Olive Street in
downtown Eugene, Chocolate Decadence provides
gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan chocolate to candy
lovers with dietary restrictions. Don’t think this is
some kind of second-class chocolate — Chocolate
Decadence makes divinely tasty morsels, from
its chocolate-covered coconut balls to its buzzy
chocolate espresso bar. Get your chocolate fix at
chocolatedecadence.com or visit the store at 152 W.
5th Avenue in Eugene.
Blissing
Out
'SUMMER BERRY SWIRL'
IS MADE WITH ORGANIC
STRAWBERRIES,
BLUEBERRIES AND
BLACKBERRIES
Coconut Bliss brings vegan goodness
to the ice cream world By William Kennedy
l
ocal ice cream maker Coconut Bliss has built
a nationally recognized brand name without
sacrificing its core values of independence
and integrity. Coconut Bliss marketing
communications manager Elizabeth Reilly
says these Eugene-style priorities are partially what make
her company so unique. “We are one of the best examples
of a family-run company in the region,” Reilly tells EW.
Coconut Bliss founders Luna Marcus and Larry
Kaplowitz are themselves sensitive to dairy and soy. Prior
to launching Coconut Bliss, the pair was disappointed
with the ice cream alternatives on the market. “At the
time, the alternatives were made out of either rice or soy,”
Reilly says. “They didn’t have great flavor,” she explains,
adding that instead the products were of “poor texture,
they weren’t creamy. They weren’t satisfying.”
After taking some cooking classes, Marcus bought a
hand-crank ice cream maker. “One day she was inspired
to try coconut milk” as a base for her ice cream, Reilly
recalls, “and the rest is history. We were the first product
on the market to use coconut milk as a base for ice cream.”
Coconut Bliss sweetens its coconut milk with agave.
“It took off like wildfire,” Reilly adds, explaining
Coconut Bliss is distributed nationwide as well as in
Canada, Australia and Germany. Coconut Bliss recently
launched two new flavors: “Chocolate Chip Cookie” and
“Cinnamon Chocolate Fusion.”
Other flavors include “Naked Coconut,” “Salted
Caramel and Chocolate” and “Vanilla Island.”
Reilly continues: “Our first customers were Red
Barn and Sweet Life Patisserie. When it really started to
snowball, Luna and Larry were still making it themselves.
It was like, ‘OK, now we’ve got to figure out how to scale
this model.’”
To deal with the added business, Junction City’s
Lochmead Dairy stepped in to help with production.
“Now they have a percentage ownership,” Reilly says.
Nevertheless, Coconut Bliss has remained privately
owned.
“We’ve never had to go through the acquisition
process,” Reilly explains. “We’ve had the opportunity to
maintain our philosophy and our product values.”
“Our entire product line is certified organic,” she
continues. “We recently became members of the Organic
Trade Association. We also support the non-GMO
movement.” Reilly explains all Coconut Bliss products
are vegan, gluten-, soy- and dairy-free.
“It doesn’t matter which flavor you pick up,” Reilly
says. “If you have these specific dietary or lifestyle
requirements — anything the customer buys is going to
be OK for that.”
In addition, Coconut Bliss prioritizes sustainable
business practices — the production facility is solar-
powered.
The startup success story of Coconut Bliss is not
uncommon in the Eugene area, particularly in the food
production industry. Reilly says there’s something about
Eugene that attracts and supports the entrepreneurial
spirit.
“We are fortunate to live in this lush environment
where food is not separate from us,” Reilly says. “This is
close to us. This is personal.” ■
For more info or to find retailers, visit coconutbliss.com.
'It doesn't matter which flavor you pick
up. If you have these specific dietary or
lifestyle requirements — anything the
customer buys is going to be OK for that ' .
— Elizabeth Reilly, Coconut Bliss
4
CHOW SUMMER 2016
EUGENEWEEKLY.COM/CHOW